TV anchor is 'proud' of his son for his long hair

A news anchor has taken to social media to praise his son’s decision to wear his hair long, and he is finding a slew of supporters in return.

“This is my son. He’s 9. I know. Long hair. Looks like a girl. Yes. I’ve heard it. He’s heard it,” wrote Jamie Holmes, a daytime anchor with WFTV Channel 9 in Orlando, Fla., on the Monday-morning Facebook post alongside a photo of his smiling boy. “And as a dad I’m torn. I’m torn by the (modern) tradition that boys are supposed to have short hair vs. a desire for him to be his own independent, free-thinking human.”

In Holmes’s post, which already has more than 1,300 reactions and a few hundred comments, he continues, “Truth is, he got a bad hair cut last year, and the barber cut him. He’s been too nervous to sit in the chair ever since, and I’m hard pressed to force him. Also, what impresses me the most is how he handles his critics, which will be plentiful in life.”

He goes on: “For example, he was at the grocery with his sister. A man pushing his cart said, ‘Excuse me girls,’ as he passed. And my son turned to his sister, and said, ‘Did you hear that? He called YOU a girl!’ So, yes long hair, an independent spirit, and a sense of humor to battle his foes. I’m proud of you son.”

Though it’s been nearly 50 years since the musical Hair chided folks who couldn’t deal with lengthy locks via the line, “This is 1968, dearie, not 1948,” some people still just cannot deal with long hair on boys or men. But it hasn’t stopped a steady stream of style-minded boys — including sons of Rachel Zoe, Celine Dion, and Elle MacPherson — from letting their locks grow.

And it hasn’t stopped this boy. Holmes tells Yahoo Beauty just how proud he is of his son, “He’s just the coolest son a dad could ask for.”

Readers, who have taken to the comment section to share similar experiences with their own sons, seem to agree. “My son also has to deal with people joking about how ‘girly’ he looks because he prefers to keep his hair long,” wrote one mom. “I just tell him how handsome he is, it’s his choice when he wants to cut it, and how awesome it is that he has the ‘Carl from the Walking Dead’ look going for him. I think your son is just handsome. Chances are he will want to cut it soon enough. And from the sound of it, he’s doing a pretty good job defending his choice and strengthening his Independence.”

Noted another, “Jamie, let him be a free spirit,” and another, “Do you know who else had long hair? Hercules. Just saying.”

In addition to the hair-raising barber shop incident, a sense of style also motivates him to keep his hair long. “I just like it long,” Holmes says his son explains. “It’s what makes me, me.” And when people mistake him for a girl? Despite him not knowing any other boys with long hair, he tells his dad, “I don’t care, because I know who I am.” Way to go!